Discuss major points/facts how liability insurance can control police officer’s behaviour/brutality and why.
This book must be used as a source: Otu, N. (2020) Criminal Justice Policy Issues (Preliminary Ed.) San Deigo, Cognella. ISBN 9781516597796
Liability
Police liability insurance has had a great impact on the conduct and behaviour of the police in the course of meeting their professional goals and objectives. Liability insurance protects professionals from risks associated with their professions. The risks in the profession are imposed by lawsuits that can result in the imposition of legal fines, punishments or jail terms. Initially, the absence of liability insurance prevented professional from undertaking their role in the case that their lives would be compromised by proceeding lawsuits. In the case of the police, they faced issues of personal safety, allegations of wrongdoing, claims of negligence, failure to protect, civil rights violations and false arrest claims that lead to costly litigations against municipalities and departments. The litigations result in settlements of millions in dollars. In this regards, law agencies and municipalities have bought police officer liability insurance in an attempt to enable covering the costs of lawsuits instead of borrowing to pay settlements to the extent of burdening the local taxpayers. The presence of police liability insurance covers has significantly changed the police conduct and operations in their profession by way of regulation.
The institution of police liability insurance has significantly reduced police misconduct through control measures and best practices employed. First, the presence of police liability insurance has introduced the need to train the police to be responsible for the course of professional work (Rappaport, 2016). Police departments and agencies have introduced the management of Liability to guide the behaviours and conduct of errant police officers to enhance the reduction of legal claims and thus the cost of liability. Polices are trained on observing the law and constitutionalism in the course of conducting the enforcement work thus citizens are satisfied with the work of the police. The police training improves the relationship between the police and the people thus reducing liability claims. Therefore, police liability insurance introduces police training thus managing the managerial of liabilities.
The insurers have taken the responsibilities of working with the police department to reduce the liabilities by way of regulating the conduct of the law enforcers. The insurers and the police have worked for hand in hand in promulgating and updating departmental policies on the critical policing tasks (Rappaport, 2016). The policies ensure the police to conduct enforcement work by way ensuring that they do not violate the constitution in the course of their work. The updating of policies is done by insurers, consultants, retired officers or incorporating the services of policy writing services. New and updated policies ensure the police work regulated to achieving its goals without violating the constitution or human rights.
Presence of police liability insurance invites audit agencies to review internal documentation and conduct site visit and ride wrongs to evaluate the police work. The auditors supervise the work and operations of the police that border the violation of the constitutions and can lead to an increase in claims (Utu, 2020). The insurers give recommendations on the changes that need to be adopted to prevent the police from engaging in misconduct. The recommendations guide the operations of the police thus regulating and changing their behaviour to the citizens in the course of enforcing the law.
The police liability insurance incorporates the services of accreditation agencies to audit the functions of the police and approve them if they meet the requirements and standards. The accreditation agencies give recommendations on the changes that need to be adopted in the police department (Utu, 2006). Concomitantly, the agencies recommend the termination of rogue police officers that are likely to violate the law and the constitution in handling the citizens. Eliminating problem officers ensure that the entire police force will work accordingly to meeting the goals, missions and objectives of the police. Additionally, the termination of law enforcers acts as a lesson to the other police officers to observe the law and proper conduct in the course of carrying their enforcement responsibility. Therefore, the accreditation and terminations regulate the behaviours and the conduct of the police officers thus making the police liability insurance effective.
Finally, the presence of police liability insurance has resulted in responsible policing across the police departments and agencies (Utu, 2006). The constitution, conservatives, independents and liberals agree that physical force is needed to some extent in the course of conducting the enforcement obligations. However, if the physical use is used extensively it amounts to police brutality that needs to be regulated. The police liability insurance is that adopted in eliminating police brutality and encouraging responsible policing. Police liability insurance employs government policies and public opinion in eliminating police brutality. Additionally, official and unofficial policies are used to encourage responsible policing through counselling, civilian review boards, training and retraining of officers and recruitment tests. Therefore, police liability insurance incorporates all approaches and best practices that uphold responsible policing.
In conclusion, police liability insurance has been adopted in controlling the conduct and behaviours of the police to achieve responsible policing. The use of police liability insurance has been employed in deterring the police from being involved in misconduct or a violation of the laws. The police conduct through police liability has been controlled through police training, promulgations and updating of police policies, regular auditing of police work, using of accreditations agencies to guide police work and upholding of overall responsible policing.
References
Otu, N. (2020) Criminal Justice Policy Issues (Preliminary Ed.) San Deigo, Cognella. ISBN 9781516597796
Otu, N. (2006). The police service and liability insurance: Responsible policing. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 8(4), 294-315.
Rappaport, J. (2016). An Insurance-Based Typology of Police Misconduct. U. Chi. Legal F., 369.
